Butterfly
by NoDaybutTooDay
Summary: This is a one-shot follow up to the Me and Emily saga. Takes place when Emily is 16.


1_**This is a one-shot follow up to Me and Emily. This takes place with Emily at age 16. I do not own House, Chase or anything you don't recognize. I also didn't write the song, it's from Hannah Montana The Movie - when I heard the song, this story just popped into my head. I hope you like it!**_

Emily pulled out her cell phone, dialing her father. It rang twice before he picked up. "Hello Emily!" he said.

"Hi Dad! I've got a research paper and I'm going to head to the library for a while to get it started." she told him. He agreed and asked her not to be too late. She promised she wouldn't and they hung up. Then she bounded up the three steps that led to her Uncle House's place and knocked on the door.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" he asked her, stepping aside to let her in.

"I need your help. We're having a talent show at school and I wrote this song, but I need some help learning the guitar." She knew how to play the piano and she knew the basics of the guitar, but she needed some guidance.

"Does your dad know you're here?" he asked. Emily grinned widely.

"Nope. And he can't know, this is a surprise for him. I wrote the song for the piano, but I think it'll sound better on a guitar." she told him. House nodded.

"Okay, sit down at the piano and play it for me." She did and when she was done, she looked to her Uncle, anxiously.

"What do you think?" she asked him. His opinion mattered a lot to her. He was the one who had gotten her interested in music and had taught her everything she knew about it.

"I think your dad will love it." he told her, honestly. That was the other good thing about Uncle House, if he thought it sucked, he would tell you.

* * *

Robert and Kimberly Chase shuffled into the school auditorium along with hundreds of other parents and students. It was the school's annual talent show and Emily was going to be in it. It wasn't a surprise, she had done the shows before. She enjoyed performing. House, Wilson, and Cuddy were all there. That pleased him, he knew how much it meant to Emily to have them there.

Finally, the lights dimmed and the emcee's walked out and began the show. Chase glanced through his program, Emily was near the end. He was a little curious, because all it said was Emily Chase, music. There was nothing else there. He shrugged, knowing Emily she had forgotten to submit exactly what she was doing until it was too late.

The first hour moved painfully slow. The talent show had a lot of people who didn't have any talent. He had to shove House at one point, because he was snoring. Finally, the announcers came out and announced Emily.

"Next, we have Emily Chase playing guitar." They said and the curtain opened to reveal Emily sitting on a stool, with an acoustic guitar on her lap. Chase was confused, since when did she play the guitar?

"Hello!" Emily addressed the crowd. "Before I start, I need to thank some people. To my Uncle House, thank you for teaching me how to play the guitar, especially on such short notice." Chase glanced to House, but his face was impassive. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my father, for he was the inspiration for it." Chase felt his eyes well up with tears as four sets of faces turned to look at him. "Love you, Daddy."

Then she began to play. The melody was haunting and beautiful. "You tucked me in, turned out the light. Kept me safe and sound at night. Little girls depend on things like that. You brushed my teeth and combed my hair, had to drive me everywhere. You were always there when I looked back." Chase throat closed up and he took the handkerchief from House. "You had to do it all alone, make a living, make a home. It must have been as hard as it could be. And when I couldn't sleep at night, scared things wouldn't turn out right. You would hold my hand and sing to me." Chase was literally vibrating, trying in vain to keep the tears at bay. Kimberly placed her hand on his shoulder. "Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder what you'll be. Can't go far but you can always dream. Wish you may and wish you might. Don't you worry, hold on tight. I promise you that there will come a day. Butterfly fly away." Chase could hear sniffles around him and realized that others were crying, too. "Butterfly fly away, got your wings now you can't stay. Take those dreams and make them all come true. Butterfly fly away, you've been waiting for this day. All along you've known just what to do. Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away. Butterfly fly away."

She played the last notes and brought her hands to her eyes to wipe away the moisture. The room exploded with cheers and Chase was the first to his feet, followed quickly by the rest of their friends and then the rest of the audience. She smiled, stood up and took a bow, and then blew a kiss to her father. He blew one back to her.

Emily took first place in the show, but that didn't matter to Emily. All she wanted was to find her father. When she saw him, he started crying again and she rushed to him. He held her tightly in his arms and rocked her, like she was a small child again. "Daddy." she said.

"I love you baby. That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard." he told her.

"I love you, too, Daddy."


End file.
